http://www.g9g.org/?utm_campaign=feeds en-us 2008-08-17T16:07:26-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2008/08/17/dueling-declarations-following-the-cascade.html?utm_campaign=feeds Following on the tail of my previous article on CSS 2 selectors, this time we're going to examine what happens when rules collide. When two or more different rule sets select the same element in the document tree and have declarations that try to set the same property, how does the browser know which one to apply? Which declaration will override the others? These are the questions that put the "cascade" in Cascading Style Sheets.

]]> porter 2008-08-17T16:07:26-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2008/08/17/css-2-selector-fundamentals.html?utm_campaign=feeds In this article, the first in a two-part series, we're going to take a look at the basics of selectors in Cascading Style Sheets, Level 2 (CSS 2), including the components used to build them and the various ways to combine them. It's important to understand that what I'm presenting here is the full view of selectors as defined in the CSS 2 Specification. You may or may not be able to put some of the concepts discussed to use today because of poor browser support, particularly in the areas of attribute selectors and the `:before` and `:after` pseudo-elements. However, seeing the bigger picture provides valuable context, and support is continuing to grow. You don't want to be caught looking backwards as things move forward. So let's start out by examining some fundamental questions about CSS selectors. porter 2008-08-17T15:50:21-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2008/04/22/flickr-video.html?utm_campaign=feeds For those of you out there who are complaining that Flickr shouldn’t do video, you are cordially invited to suck it.... porter 2008-04-22T18:17:26-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2008/03/29/when-statistics-attack.html?utm_campaign=feeds

Dark side of the Google

If you hadn't already noticed Google has gone dark today. In honor of [Earth Hour][1] Google's changed the background color of their home page from its usual white to black. Over on TechCrunch Michael Arrington has been [scoffing][2] at how ironic this is: > We criticized Google when we first posted about this because, it turns out, black web pages actually may use more power than white ones (based on a study that [Google itself cited][3] last year). So Google is, ironically, causing people who visit their site to use more power to celebrate Earth Hour than they would on a normal day. The following is what the post that Arrington references by Bill Weihl on the Official Google Blog has to say: > ...on flat-panel monitors (already estimated to be 75% of the market), displaying black may actually *increase* energy usage. [Detailed results][4] from a new study confirm this. So there you have it. A black Google increases the power consumption for 75% of the market, therefore Google going black uses more energy than a white Google. Michael Arrington says so. Google says so. It must be so. Slight problem: There's no way to draw that conclusion with that amount of information. [1]: http://www.earthhour.org/ [2]: http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/29/turn-your-lights-off-googles-gone-black-in-the-us/ [3]: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/is-black-new-green.html [4]: http://techlogg.com/content/view/360/31/]]> porter 2008-03-29T14:23:02-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2007/12/06/aidan-emery-glendinning.html?utm_campaign=feeds Aidan Emery Glendinning Patience apparently does not run in my genes, because late Sunday night our son, Aidan, decided that we’re not the boss of him and that it was time for him to see the world outside. After a few hours in the hospital he was born early Monday morning, and came out screaming to beat the band. Over the last few days he and Laura and I have been getting into our routines, and for the most part he’s been an absolute angel — except for the times he’s decided that mid-diaper-change would be a good time to start pooping. Blowing bubbles from your backside with road tar can hardly be considered good behavior. Right now it... porter 2007-12-06T12:25:27-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2007/11/19/amazon-thinks-my-son-is-a-bastard.html?utm_campaign=feeds porter 2007-11-19T23:08:48-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2007/08/05/i-need-a-new-phone.html?utm_campaign=feeds There's no two ways about it: I need a new phone. My current phone, a [Motorola V551][1], has been on its last legs for several months now and I've been putting off getting a new one because I didn't want the hassle. But I don't think I can put it off much longer. [1]: http://www.motorola.com/motoinfo/product/details.jsp?globalObjectId=72 porter 2007-08-05T11:14:06-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2007/07/08/jason-lee-must-be-stopped.html?utm_campaign=feeds Some miserable so-and-so has crapped all over [Underdog][2] and put it on screen. I think I would rather go with Laura to see [Becoming Jane][3] and actually watch it than be subjected to [this pile of pants][4]. [1]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382932/ [2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underdog_%28TV_series%29 [3]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416508/ [4]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467110/ ]]> Things that Piss Me Off porter 2007-07-08T00:25:00-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2007/06/30/in-case-you-hadnt-noticed.html?utm_campaign=feeds Profile As you might have seen from my photostream already, Laura and I have some rather exciting news. Laura seems to be doing her best to get me used to the idea of being covered in vomit, but so far everything else is looking very good. We’re looking forward to a way better than average Christmas present.... porter 2007-06-30T17:15:23-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2007/06/18/web-standards-the-threelegged-race.html?utm_campaign=feeds Molly threw [a bit of a hand grenade][1] into the community: > 1. COMPLETE HTML 4.1, XHTML 1.0 and CSS 2.1 in specs and browsers where applicable > 2. CALL for consistent implementation of these most basic specifications in all current browsers and devices to this point > 3. WAIT for future HTML, XHTML and CSS implementations until these implementations are complete > 4. FOCUS on JavaScript and DOM fixes and implementations as we come up to par with markup and style Now, Molly, you know I love you so I'm going to assume that you were just looking to stir the pot to get people talking about this. I'll bite. [1]: http://www.molly.com/2007/06/14/defy-the-pedantic-semantic-html5-and-xhtml-11-must-stop-for-now/ "HTML5 and XHTML 1.1+ MUST Stop for Now" ]]> Web Development porter 2007-06-18T12:00:45-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2007/06/10/ways-not-to-wake-me-up.html?utm_campaign=feeds

Not the best way to wake up on a Sunday

There are nice ways to be woken up and there are not nice ways of being woken up. My personal favorite way of being woken up is not being woken up at all and Laura knows this, which is why I know there's something wrong when she wakes me up on a weekend. Usually it's because Arrow's ripping up something he shouldn't be, or is eating something he shouldn't have been ripping up, or has thrown up something he shouldn't have eaten. But sometimes it's truly spectacular.]]> porter 2007-06-10T10:30:40-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2007/04/29/return-to-old-school.html?utm_campaign=feeds You might notice that I'm in the middle of some major design changes here. I've decided to go back to a look that will be more familiar to long-time readers. Back when I migrated over to this domain name I had the idea that I would do a series of redesigns using different basic color palettes, so I went from [my grayscale + red look][1] to [one using primary colors][2] that I never really finished. But I got to missing my old design and decided I wanted to go back and do a refined version of it. [1]: http://web.archive.org/web/20040428141708/www.serve.com/apg/ [2]: http://web.archive.org/web/20060527093747/http://www.g9g.org/ About the Blog porter 2007-04-29T23:32:41-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2007/03/11/back-in-austin.html?utm_campaign=feeds I’m back at SXSW again this year — getting caught up with everyone and enjoying some good panels and parties. I would have posted sooner, but the Internet connection here’s a bit like the port-a-johns at an outdoor concert and the hotel’s connection was no better until today. I’ve been able to throw a few pics up onto Flickr, though. As usual, that’s a better way to see what I’m up to than waiting for me to get around to posting here. If you want more frequent (if not more more trivial) updates you can find me on Twitter.... porter 2007-03-11T11:55:38-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2006/12/06/search-terms.html?utm_campaign=feeds I was looking through my server logs yesterday and checking out the search terms people coming to my site from search engines had used. It’s always good for a chuckle — yes, if you’re a big geek like me. One of the queries jumped out at me this time, though: my husband doesn’t love me. I did a quick Google search myself and, sure enough, my home page was listed at #44. Now, up until a couple sentences ago my blog didn’t even use the term “husband,” but likely I still rank on the term because of all the links from my wife’s site that point to me. I’m not sure which is more disturbing, really… that my site comes... porter 2006-12-06T09:41:47-05:00 http://www.g9g.org/backblog/2006/11/14/a-year-ago.html?utm_campaign=feeds Right around this time a year ago I was sitting, about panicked out of my mind but trying desperately to stay calm and stay present, waiting for Laura to be prepped for an emergency C-section. It was pretty clear that the two nurses who were staffing the otherwise empty recovery room where I'd been told to wait hadn't been briefed on the complete picture of what was happening. I don't remember the exact conversation, but I remember one of them asking me if I was excited and me explaining that I was more nervous than excited considering that my wife wasn't supposed to be due for another three months. That was when the entire mood in the room changed. *Excellent. Now they could panic with me.* porter 2006-11-14T19:53:17-05:00